Container closure



Aug. 24, 1948. ROBINSON 2,447,535

CONTAINER CLOSURE Filed Nov. 28, 1944 Jbsepk. 60502 0 Patented Aug. 24, 1948 UNITED @TATES PATENT OFFICE CONTAINER CLOSURE Joseph Robinson. New York, N. Y. I \Applicatlon November 28, 1944, Serial No. 5,461

2'Claims. (Cl. 285-49) This invention relates to container closures. Vast war-time shipments of petroleum and petroleum products to all parts of the world; the hurried and inexperienced handling incident to the hastes and exigencies of war; temperature changes from far below zero to far above, and vice-versa; long exposure to every known kind of weather and to ocean waters, have revealed structural faults not previously evident in the closures used to close the drums in which the shipments are made. Under these conditions theexpansion and contraction variables between the drum stock and the threaded insert of the closure oftens loosens the Joint between them causing leakage, particularly if the content is hard-tohold high octane gasoline. Closure plugs "freeze" in the drum heads due to corrosion. Sharp temperature changes induce "breathing through the closure joint itself, a condition under which water on the drum head is vacuumed into the drum by contraction of the contents after substantial expansion thereof. This dilution of the contents, and plug fouling, are, of course, serious especially in the critical emergencies of war. Rust-proofing is only partially effective. The supplemental sealing device called a seal-cap frequently used to protect against this dilution, and against closure leakage, is not adequately dependable and has the fault of introducing another gasket making a total of three gaskets in the closure most generally used at present. Since time and temperature deteriorate gaskets, the possibility of leakage increases with gasket multiplication. The sealing gasket of the closure now most widely used is square in cross section and is quite frail. It cannot be repeatedly used but must be discarded after a single use. In replacing this gasket in the theaters of war, or elsewhere where'no special application toolis available, it is almost always twisted. It is then practically impossible to make the closure joint tight, partly because this closure does not have a properly arranged seat for the gasket. While the nuisance of a twisted gasket is objectionable even for peace-time use, it is distinctly serious under war-time demands, especially when handling critical high octane gasoline. Closures employing flat gaskets do not experience this trouble, but considerably more power existing closures; which does not require a sealcap to make it tight, and which employs only a single gasket, round in cross section and free from the objections of twisting, that rests in a prepared complementary seat and may be re-used repeatedly.

Other objects and novel features of my invention'will appear from the following description, in the appended claims and in the construction and arrangement of parts illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a vertical section through my improved closure;

Figure 2 isa sectional elevation through the threaded insert A taken on approximately the line v 2-2 of Figure 4; v

Figure 3 is a vertical section through the housing C and the insert A inverted, showing the parts as they appear before the housing isclosed in on the insert; and

Figure 4 is a bottom plan view illustrating particularly the interlocking engagement between the flat sides I I of the insert A and'the housing C when assembled.

My improvement comprises an internally threaded insert or ring A, die cast or otherwise formed in one or more pieces, having a flat annular face 6 between which and the threads I a curved bearing 8 (Figure 2) is formed. The

flat or serrated edge 9 of the insert extends downwardly and outwardly from the face 6 for a distance approximating half the height of the insert, and thence curves or flares inwardly to form a shoulder or seat III which terminates in a plurality of flats I 8, Figure 4. Stated another way,

the drum head B, to facilitate folding the bottom is required to wrench them down tight than is H of the housing tightly over the shoulder 10 of the insert into close interlocked engagement with the flats II. The curved gasket seat It formed in the housing fits closely in its complementary bearing 8 on the insert and extends to a point approximately in the'plane of the base of the threads I. The arrangement is such that when the insert is placed in the housing C, the gasket seat l4 engages its bearing 8 in'advance of engagement between the housingand the flat face 8 of the insert, Figure 3. This arrangement as- 1 a 3 sures that when the head or bottom I! of the housing is wrapped around the shoulder 10, drawing the hbusing into tight engagement with the face 8, and into binding wedging engagement with the surface 8 of the insert A, the gasket seat I! will be locked under tension in its bearing 8, thus effectively preventing at all times any vertical movement of the gasket seat with respect to its bearing 8. The housing C is, of course. wrapped under the insert A with suitable dies which force the bead I! over the shoulder I with a stretching action. This technique provides "skin tight" contact between all engaging surfaces of the insert and the housing and folds or moves the bead I! over against the flaring flats Ii into positive interlocked engagement therewith, and closes the housing permanently around the insert A.

The hollow plug D (Figures 1 and 4) of my im-" provement is die cast or otherwise formed. and is threaded to receive the threads of the insert A. Between its flange l5 and its threads, the plug is provided with an annularv seat It which receives and removabl retains a suitable pliable gasket E, preferably round in cross-section. When the plug is screwed into the insert A the gasket mates with the seat It formed in the housing Cto "receive it, and is compressed as the plug is wrenched down to bring its flange II into engagement with the flat outer face or seat 11 of the I housing. Suitable lugs 18 diametrically arranged on the inner walls of the plug, and formed integrally therewith, and Joined by a re-enforcement bar It to strengthen the bottom of the plug, ailord effective wrenching means for inserting and removingthe plug. Additional or substitute wrenching surface such as six or eight flats may be provided on the periphery of the flange l5, if desired.-

To prevent undisclosed tampering with the contents of the drum D and to facilitate identification of its contents, a thin cap or cover F (Figure l) painted or'embossed as desired, and removable on destruction, is set over the plug and housing of the drumhead that would occur if the bead were folded back flat on itself at this point. The groove also receives a tie ring sometimes used to tag the drum and identify its contents.

The foregoing improvements produce a simple, rugged closurethatis leak proof and corrosion proof in which the plug D will not "freeze"; a closure that is easy to insert in the drum head and whichcannotloosen or rotate therein, and which provides "multiple-service" because interchangeable, with the replacement. arts of existing closures. Through its single joint formed by the round cross section gasket E and its smooth conformingseat. ll-IB, no water on the drum head can be vacuumed into the drum. Content dilution cannot therefore occur. The tight wedging action of the tapered surface 9 against the housing C as onthe insert A is forced to final assembly. and the fact that the harder the plug D is wrenched down the tighter the insert is friction locked against the walls of the housing, assure positively against the insert loosening or turning in the drum head. While the round cross section gasket has several advantages and is preferred, the square cross section gasket, when ;mounted in seats "-48 (Figures 1 and 3), and

the flat gasket when mounted on seat I'I (same figures) make as good or better a joint with the present invention as when used in the closures to which they belong. Expansionyariables do not adversely affect my improvement due to its rugged construction and to the compensating spring tension against the insert A placed in the housing C when closing the housing over the insert. I have shown the insert made in one piece, but obviously it maybe formed in sections, or curled from profiled stock in which the thread has been rolled or milled (or is later tapped) this because the joint between the housing C and the insert A are both sealed by the single gasket E and do not depend for tightness upon any other seal. I am aware that to those skilled in the art other modifications will occur that do not depart from the spirit or scope of my invention. 1, therefore. desire not to be limited to the specific embodiments herein disclosed.

What I claim is:

1. In a closure receiving ring-like insert for a metal container, in combination, a wall of the container having an opening defined by an outwardly extending sleeve, the outer end portion of the sleeve having an annularinwardly directed right-angle flange formed with a depressed marginal gasket receiving seat, and an externally flanged ring-like insert disposed in said sleeve and having an annular depression formed to receive the depressed seat portion of the sleeve. the

' outer end portion of the sleeve being preformed so that the inner face of the wall defining the depressed marginal gasket receiving seat is spaced from the opposite inner face of the sleeve a distance less than the thickness of the outer end portion of the ring-lik insert, whereby to provide tensioned gripping engagement between the insert and the sleeve when the inner end portion the flange thereof is provided with a plurality of upwardly extending outwardly flaring flats which merge into the bottom of said external flange and which'co-act with said sleeve to prevent relative rotation between the insert and the sleeve when the inner end portion of said sleeve is forced inwardly against said flats.

JOSEPH ROBINSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

' UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,830,939 Golden Nov. 10, 1931 1,822,114 Schwartz Sept. 8, 1931 1,982,144 Shera -Nov. 27, 1934 2,023,977 Schwartz Dec. 10, 1935 2,050,942 Francis Aug. 11, 1936 2,084,007 'Schwartz .June 15, 1937 2,131,978 Schwartz Oct. 4, 1938 2,137,999 Curtis Nov. 29, 1938 2,194,147 Mauser Mar. 19, 1940 2,369,895 Hanrahan Feb. 20, 1945 

